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Chapter 2: Man dropped from the sky (1)
*tap tap*
A man with sunken and tiring looking eyes, but with distinct features and handsome look in his mid-30s was pressing something rapidly with his two thumbs. It was a flexible smartphone that was transparent and flapped like a thin piece of paper. The man, who was smiling as he was sending messages on the smartphone’s messenger, then heard something in his ears.
[Yimyung. Self-driving mode will be deactivated due to congested traffic on the road. Please have your hands on the steering wheel to be ready.]
It was the voice of artificial intelligence installed on the vehicle.
“Ugh, isn’t it about time the car should drive on its own even through rush hours? Bah.”
Yimyung ranted. The self-driving mode had gone public since 2026. Many automobile companies showed off their self-driving capabilities under the government’s approval, but none of them were able to prevent unforeseen accidents. Even after so many sensors on the vehicles and upgraded A.I., the self-driving mode couldn’t react to sudden and unexpected movements in times of increased vehicles. After going through many accidents, the government put a restriction on the self-driving mode.
*rolls*
Yimyung then tapped his flexible smartphone on his left wrist, which made the phone roll around his wrist.
“Whew.”
With the smartphone wrapped around on his wrist like a wristwatch, Yimyung sighed and placed his hand on the wheel. He wanted to get to the Simyang City Public Security Bureau, or PSB before rush hour, but it seemed he had wasted too much time. The number of cars on the road was increasing as he drove through.
“I have to hurry, or that bastard Vice Director will go nuts on me again.”
Vice Director was his direct superior on the job, but it didn’t stop Yimyung from calling his supervisor a bastard when his superior wasn’t around.
*rumble*
Yimyung pressed his foot on the accelerator. It was 5:10 PM. It was February, but the weather was still cold and the sun was falling down already. As Yimyung drove through the risen street through the forests of buildings, he was now driving at a higher altitude than some of the lower buildings and was able to see giant walls on the far west. The giant wall had signs of many gray metal patches all over which circled the entire city. This wall was called ‘Gate Wall.’
“God, dammit. I hate that.”
Yimyung never liked seeing that giant wall. The wall was evidence of how people, including Yimyung himself, were helpless and incompetent in this world.
“Has it been 28 years already?”
28 years had passed since the day the ‘First Dimension Gate’ opened, also named as the Worst Day in human history. In that year, a total of 20% of the human population on Earth had been killed. More people could have been killed, but the powers hidden behind human society appeared and helped reduce the damage to a minimum.
*tap tap*
Yimyung took out a box of cigarettes and tapped it to take out a piece and placed one in his mouth. As he tried to light it up, the car’s A.I. gave a warning.
-Smoking in this vehicle is prohibited. You may receive a penalty or a warning.
“F**k you.”
He was annoyed of this warning every time he tried to light up his cigarette in the car. It wasn’t possible to mute this warning since this vehicle was provided by PSB for his job.
Yimyung lit up his cigarette and took in a full breath and let out the smoke.
“Whew.”
Dense cigarette smoke filled the vehicle instantly.
*Buzzz*
The sunroof on the ceiling of the car opened up automatically, letting out the cigarette smoke through its opening.
*Swoooooooooosh*
“Shut up please.”
Yimyung eased his foot on the pedal to lower his speed. The speed limit was 80 km, but the speed with the sunroof open made loud flapping wind noises that filled the cabin, making Yimyung’s ear hurt. It was then—
*beep beep. Beep beep.*
A phone rang from the smartphone on his left wrist. Then a face of a noble-looking woman in her early sixties showed up on the car’s center console screen.
“Huh?”
The caller was none other than his own mother.
“I’m not off work yet.”
He wasn’t sure what his mother was up to, so he connected the phone through Bluetooth on the car.
“Hello.”
-Hello, my son.
“Mother, I am still working-”
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-And you think I wouldn’t know that? I’m your mother.
“Of course. Then what is it? I’m near the PSB, so I’ll hang up if you don’t have much to talk about.
-You know why I called. How can you ruin the arrangements I worked so hard to make? And with mere a phone messenger?
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Yimyung replied, pretending to not know what his mother was talking about. His mother seemed annoyed at his reaction.
-I allowed you to live however you like. Shouldn’t you at least listen to your mother for once? Is it so hard to stop by Peking for a while and have dinner with Director Jang’s third daughter…